The Portal of the ‘‘İnce Minare Madrasa’’ or the “Gate of Victory” (Bāb āl-Nasr) of Dār’āl-Mūlk Konya: An Interpretation

Abstract

The Ince Minare Madrasa, built by the famous Seljuk vizier Sāhib Fahr al-Dīn ‛Alī, has been the subject of many studies, and various evaluations have been made on the plan of the building, especially its portal and Kalūk ibn ‛Abd Allāh. The monumental portal, rises as an independent mass in the centre of the eastern façade of the madrasa, is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable designs of the Seljuk period with its ornamentation and plasticity and deserves to be the subject of a new study again.

The portal protruding from the eastern façade of the madrasa, is a prestigious and monumental building element dependent on the rectangular and detached building mass behind it. The portal which currently has a height of 10.00 m. stands out not only with its concave curved deep niche surrounded by a wide encircling arch, but also with the thuluth inscriptions surrounding the façade composition and various decorative elements carved in relief, as a high geometric design and an extraordinary example of creativity that gives the facade layout a sculptural appearance. The absolute symmetry created by the spiral arrangement of the surahs of al-Fath and Yāsīn, stacked in thuluth on the legs of the arch covering the door and the borders with transverse and concave profiles bordering the rectangular prismal mass of the portal on both sides, clearly reveals that the whole mass design is based on writing and that the portal is the product of a construction activity that emphasises the element of writing.

In this context, it can be easily concluded that this monumental building element is not a madrasa, but a prestige structure that reflects the power of the Sultanate as an ‘urban symbol’ in the public sphere in the Seljuk capital Konya, in other words, it is the product of an extraordinary design that carries the insignia of the Seljuk Sultanate and revives the glorious memories of the Middle Ages by giving it the appearance of a monumental ‘darwaza’ that will not fade from memory. Considering the fact that the most important details that give the portal, which is shaped with extraordinary subtlety and a high knowledge of geometry, its main meaning and character, are the sûrah of al-Fath (Conquest), which is stacked in thuluth to bless a great victory and conquest won by war, there is no reason not to accept that this monumental mass was once built as a ‘Victory Gate’ (Bāb al-Nasr).

It should be pointed out that another building element in the ‘İnce Minare Madrasa’, which was designed to be dedicated to the memory of a war victory and an important conquest, is the ‘minaret’ that gives the madrasa its name.

In the medieval urban panorama of the 13th-century medieval city of Dār al-Mūlk Konya, with its majestic silhouette that is particularly prominent and can be perceived from many kilometres away, there is no reason not to think that the ‘minaret’ in question was once built and functioned as a ‘sultanic urban symbol’ welcoming those arriving to the Seljuk capital from distant lands, rather than a building element belonging to the madrasa’s masjid.

The building in question is located on the main road route connecting the city to its hinterland from the west during the Seljuk era, starting from the city gate where ‘Ehmedek’, which is known to have been built by Sultan Izz el-dīn Keykāvus I as a military garrison connected to the outer walls from the inside, is located at a point where the road extending in the west-east direction ends at the wall line surrounding the ‘Alaeddin Hill’ where the Seljuk Palace is located. In this context, there can be no doubt that this monument was built as a ‘Tower of Victory’ rising in the same position in front of and across the road from the ‘Victory Gate’, which was certainly connected by a bridge over the moat and allowed access to the Inner Fortress from the west.